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{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = The Apartment
| name = The Apartment
| image = L%27appartement.jpg
| image = L%27appartement.jpg
| caption =
| caption =
| alt =
| alt =
| director = [[Gilles Mimouni]]
| director = [[Gilles Mimouni]]
| producer = [[Georges Benayoun]]
| producer = [[Georges Benayoun]]
| writer = [[Gilles Mimouni]]
| writer = Gilles Mimouni
| starring = [[Romane Bohringer]]<br />[[Vincent Cassel]]<br />[[Jean-Philippe Écoffey]]<br />[[Monica Bellucci]]
| starring = [[Romane Bohringer]]<br />[[Vincent Cassel]]<br />[[Jean-Philippe Écoffey]]<br />[[Monica Bellucci]]
| music = [[Peter Chase (composer)|Peter Chase]]
| music = [[Peter Chase (composer)|Peter Chase]]
| cinematography = [[Thierry Arbogast]]
| cinematography = [[Thierry Arbogast]]
| editing =
| editing =
| distributor = [[Cinemien]]
| distributor = [[Cinemien]]
| released = {{Film date|1996|10|2|df=y}}
| released = {{Film date|1996|10|2|df=y}}
| runtime = 116 minutes
| runtime = 116 minutes
| country = France
| country = France
| language = French
| language = French
| budget = $4.7 million
| budget = $4.7 million
| gross = $1.1 million<ref name="JPBox Office"/>
| gross = $1.1 million<ref name="JPBox Office"/>
}}
}}
'''''The Apartment''''' ({{lang-fr|L'Appartement}}) is a 1996 [[Cinema of France|French film]] directed by [[Gilles Mimouni]], and starring [[Romane Bohringer]], [[Vincent Cassel]], [[Jean-Philippe Écoffey]] and [[Monica Bellucci]].
'''''The Apartment''''' ({{lang-fr|L'Appartement}}) is a 1996 [[Cinema of France|French]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Gilles Mimouni]], and starring [[Romane Bohringer]], [[Vincent Cassel]], [[Jean-Philippe Écoffey]] and [[Monica Bellucci]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
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Eventually, the truth begins to unravel in front of everyone's eyes, leading to dramatic and life-changing consequences for all involved.
Eventually, the truth begins to unravel in front of everyone's eyes, leading to dramatic and life-changing consequences for all involved.


In a sub-plot, Alice is seen to be acting in Shakespeare's ''[[Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', drawing comparisons between the four lovers in the film and those in the play; it is arguable that the whole film is a rendition of the play.
In a sub-plot, Alice is seen to be acting in Shakespeare's ''[[Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', drawing comparisons between the four lovers in the film and those in the play; it is arguable that the whole film is a rendition of the play.


The film begins and ends in "reality" where Max and Muriel have a world weary but sensible life in high finance (and the implication is that Muriel is the boss's daughter, thus imitating Egeus' involvement in Hermia's marriage to Demetrius), but almost all the action takes place in a dreamlike trance where the lovers don't really know whom they love. Lucien is always faithful to Alice, and pursues her, but both Alice and Lisa (who, as their names imply, are reflections of each other) initially both love Max, and Max, although madly in love with Lisa, turns to Alice after reading her diary, just before reality dawns and he accepts his fate with Muriel.
The film begins and ends in "reality" where Max and Muriel lead a futile, vacuous but bourgeois life in high finance (and the implication being that Muriel is the boss's daughter, thus imitating Egeus' involvement in Hermia's marriage to Demetrius in Midsummer Night's Dream), but almost all the action takes place in a dreamlike trance where the lovers don't really know whom they love. Lucien is always faithful to Alice, and pursues her, but both Alice and Lisa (who, as their names imply, are reflections of each other) initially both love Max, and Max, although madly in love with Lisa, turns to Alice after reading her diary, just before reality dawns and he accepts his fate with Muriel.
Lisa returns to her apartment and is confronted by Daniel, who drops a lighter on the floor (covered in gasoline) causing the apartment to explode and blowing Lucien through the window of a café across the street.
Lisa returns to her apartment and is confronted by Daniel, who drops a lighter on the floor (covered in gasoline) causing the apartment to explode and blowing Lucien through the window of a café across the street.
Alice leaves her life behind and flies to Rome, bidding Max one last farewell glance as he embraces Muriel at the airport.
Alice leaves her life behind and flies to [[Rome]], bidding Max one last farewell glance as he embraces Muriel at the airport.


==Cast==
==Cast==
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== Reception {{anchor|Critics|Box office|DVD|Remake}} ==
== Reception {{anchor|Critics|Box office|DVD|Remake}} ==
The film has generally been received positively by critics, who praised it for its complex plot and stylish direction.<ref name=test>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/05/lappartement_1997_review.shtml BBC review]</ref> In 1998, the film won a [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language]] and the first [[British Independent Film Awards|British Independent Film Award]] for the Best Film in a Foreign Language.
The film was generally well received by critics, who praised it for its complex plot and stylish direction.<ref name=test>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/05/lappartement_1997_review.shtml|title=BBC – Films – review – L'Appartement|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> In 1998, the film won a [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language]] and the first [[British Independent Film Awards|British Independent Film Award]] for the Best Film in a Foreign Language.


The film was also a modest hit in France gaining 55,565 admissions its opening weekend and 152,714 admissions total.<ref name="JPBox Office">{{Cite web|url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=3787|title=L\'Appartement (1996) - JPBox-Office}}</ref> Although the film was never released theatrically in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 22, 2006. The film was remade in the United States as ''[[Wicker Park (film)|Wicker Park]]'' in 2004.
The film was also a modest hit in France with 55,565 admissions its opening weekend and 152,714 admissions total.<ref name="JPBox Office">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=3787|title=L\'Appartement (1996) – JP Box-Office|website=www.jpbox-office.com}}</ref> Although the film was never released theatrically in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 22, 2006. The film was remade in the United States as ''[[Wicker Park (film)|Wicker Park]]'' in 2004.


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0115561|L'Appartement}}
* {{IMDb title|0115561|L'Appartement}}

* [http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Lappartment%20Wicker%20Park.shtml ''L'Appartement'' on ''Wicker Park'': Detailed comparison between original and remake. ]


{{A Midsummer Night's Dream}}
{{A Midsummer Night's Dream}}
{{BAFTA Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{BAFTA Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{BIFA BestForeignFilm}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Appartement}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Appartement}}
[[Category:1996 films]]
[[Category:1996 films]]
⚫
[[Category:French films]]
[[Category:French drama films]]
[[Category:French drama films]]
[[Category:French-language films]]
[[Category:1990s French-language films]]
[[Category:1996 drama films]]
[[Category:1996 drama films]]
[[Category:Films set in apartment buildings]]
[[Category:Films set in apartment buildings]]
[[Category:Films shot in Madrid]]
[[Category:Films shot in Madrid]]
[[Category:Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award winners]]
⚫
[[Category:1990s French films]]

Revision as of 10:54, 2 February 2024

The Apartment
Directed byGilles Mimouni
Written byGilles Mimouni
Produced byGeorges Benayoun
StarringRomane Bohringer
Vincent Cassel
Jean-Philippe Écoffey
Monica Bellucci
CinematographyThierry Arbogast
Music byPeter Chase
Distributed byCinemien
Release date
  • 2 October 1996 (1996-10-02)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Budget$4.7 million
Box office$1.1 million[1]

The Apartment (French: L'Appartement) is a 1996 French drama film directed by Gilles Mimouni, and starring Romane Bohringer, Vincent Cassel, Jean-Philippe Écoffey and Monica Bellucci.

Plot

Max (Vincent Cassel) is a former bohemian and an amateur writer who gets a job in New York and leaves his girlfriend Lisa (Monica Bellucci), with whom he was madly in love, in mysterious circumstances. After two years, he returns home to Paris, and decides to settle down and gets engaged to Muriel (Sandrine Kiberlain). By chance, he catches a glimpse of his lost love, Lisa, in a café, but fails to make contact with her before she storms out. Determined to meet her, Max secretly cancels his business trip abroad to pursue his lost love. Through a series of ruses and perseverance, he enters Lisa's apartment. Hearing that somebody else has arrived, he hides in her wardrobe.

First, he thinks it is Lisa, as the girl who came to the apartment resembles Lisa from behind. After several misunderstandings, they finally get acquainted. The girl introduces herself as Lisa. The same night, they make love, and their relationship starts to develop. The girl's real name is Alice (Romane Bohringer). During the film, flashbacks are intertwined with the narrative to provide a background for Max, Lisa, and especially for Alice, shedding light on the situation.

The flashbacks show that Alice and Lisa were best friends, living in apartments on the same floor of two facing buildings, and that Alice became obsessed with Max, Lisa's then-boyfriend, from a distance. She restyled herself to look like Lisa while secretly engineering a breakup between them. Lisa is a stage actress and leaves abruptly for a two-month tour, giving Alice a letter to deliver to Max asking him to wait for her; Alice never sends the letter. Max, believing Lisa left because she didn't love him, accepts a job in New York and leaves. Upon her return, Lisa is heartbroken that Max has left her and leaves on a cruise (a gift from Alice) to ease her mind, where she meets a rich, married older man named Daniel.

Lisa is being pursued by Daniel, who might have murdered his wife to get closer to her. For this reason, she avoids her flat and lets Alice use it. To complicate matters further, Alice is dating Max's best friend, Lucien, who is also Max's confidante.

Eventually, the truth begins to unravel in front of everyone's eyes, leading to dramatic and life-changing consequences for all involved.

In a sub-plot, Alice is seen to be acting in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, drawing comparisons between the four lovers in the film and those in the play; it is arguable that the whole film is a rendition of the play.

The film begins and ends in "reality" where Max and Muriel lead a futile, vacuous but bourgeois life in high finance (and the implication being that Muriel is the boss's daughter, thus imitating Egeus' involvement in Hermia's marriage to Demetrius in Midsummer Night's Dream), but almost all the action takes place in a dreamlike trance where the lovers don't really know whom they love. Lucien is always faithful to Alice, and pursues her, but both Alice and Lisa (who, as their names imply, are reflections of each other) initially both love Max, and Max, although madly in love with Lisa, turns to Alice after reading her diary, just before reality dawns and he accepts his fate with Muriel. Lisa returns to her apartment and is confronted by Daniel, who drops a lighter on the floor (covered in gasoline) causing the apartment to explode and blowing Lucien through the window of a café across the street. Alice leaves her life behind and flies to Rome, bidding Max one last farewell glance as he embraces Muriel at the airport.

Cast

Reception

The film was generally well received by critics, who praised it for its complex plot and stylish direction.[2] In 1998, the film won a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and the first British Independent Film Award for the Best Film in a Foreign Language.

The film was also a modest hit in France with 55,565 admissions its opening weekend and 152,714 admissions total.[1] Although the film was never released theatrically in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 22, 2006. The film was remade in the United States as Wicker Park in 2004.

References

  1. ^ a b "L\'Appartement (1996) – JP Box-Office". www.jpbox-office.com.
  2. ^ "BBC – Films – review – L'Appartement". www.bbc.co.uk.


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